Protective cover construction



April .29, 1969 SELDEN ET AL 3,441,656

PROTECTIVE COVER CONSTRUCTION Filed June 16, 1966 INVENTOR. LEONARD M. SELDEN WILLIAM F GRAVES BY pauww lw A T TORNEYS United States Patent 3,441,656 PROTECTIVE COVER CONSTRUCTION Leonard Marvin Selden, 2501 Bellaire Drive 48910, and William F. Graves, 12405 Madonna Drive 48917, both of Lansing, Mich.

Filed June 16, 1966, Ser. No. 557,951 Int. Cl. Hk 5/03 US. Cl. 174--50 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A protective cover for a plug board of the kind having a base provided with a pair of upstanding, spaced apart handles adjacent opposite ends of the base, the cover including a panel member adapted to overlie the base and from which depend flanges spaced from one another a distance to lie adjacent the respective handles. The cover is provided with a first latch bar carried by one of the flanges and projecting inwardly to fit into the space between the base and the adjacent handle. The cover includes a second latch member mounted for swinging movement through an opening in the other flange to project inwardly of the body and into the space between the base and the adjacent handle. The second latch member may be swung outwardly of the body to enable the cover to be removed from the base.

This invention relates to a protective cover construction especially adapted for use in conjunction with plug boards or panels of the kind used in the programming of computer machinery.

Electronic data processing and other equipment utilize what are known as plug boards which comprise chassis provided with a plurality of sockets containing electrically conductive contacts and which accommodate pin type terminals at the ends of wires so as to interconnect selected sockets in accordance with a predetermined plan. Such plug boards conventionally are wired in advance of installation on a computer or other machine and may be mounted on and dismounted from such a machine. In practice, computer and other machines are adapted to perform any one of a number of functions according to the circuitry of one or more plug boards. Whenit is desired to change the function of the machine, a prewired plug board may be exchanged for a plug board removably mounted on the machine. The plug board removed from a machine then may be held in storage until it is again required.

It is not uncommon for plug boards of the kind referred to above to have hundreds or even thousands of wires. Those plug boards which are held in storage are subject to being damaged by the dropping on them of foreign articles such as paper clips, metal shavings, wire staples and the like. In addition, stored plug boards also may be adversely affected by accumulation of dust.

In addition to the foregoing, plug boards in use or in storage normally are so arranged that the wires which interconnect the sockets of the plug board are exposed. It is not uncommon for one or more such wires to be caught by personnel or equipment and either broken or disconnected from its terminals. In such event, substantial time and expense may be involved in making appropriate repairs.

An object of this invention is to provide a protective cover for plug boards of the character described and which overcomes the difiiculties hereinabove referred to without interfering with the normal use of the plug board.

Another object of the invention is to provide a plug board of the character described and which is capable of being mounted on and removed from a plug board without the use of any screws, bolts or other conventional fastening devices and which requires the use of no tools of any kind.

Another object of the invention is to provide a protective cover for a plug board of the kind equipped with handles and in which the cover may be mounted on the plug board and removably anchored thereto by means of the handles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cover of the character referred to which is durable, economical to manufacture and simple to use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out specifically or will become apparent from the following description when it is considered in conjunction with the appended claims and the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective, exploded view of a typical plug board and a protective cover constructed in accordance with the invention, a part of the cover being broken away for clarity;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on-the line 22 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view illustrating the cover locked in place on the plug board, certain parts being broken away for clarity.

Apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention is adapted for use in conjunction with a plug board 1 having a base or body 2 adapted removably to be accom-modated in a computer, data processing or other machine (not shown) and having a plurality of sockets 3 in each of which is an electrically conductive element (not shown) which is adapted to be electrically connected in the circuitry of the computer or other machine when the plug board is mounted thereon. Each socket 3 is adapted to accommodate a terminal at one end of a wire '(not shown) the other end of which may be received in another one of the sockets so as electrically to interconnect any selected pair of sockets. Depending on the size and particular machine functions to be programmed by the plug board, there may be hundreds or even thousands of such wires mounted on the plug board.

To facilitate handling of the plug board, the latter is provided with a pair of spaced apart handles 4 each of which includes a pair of upstanding support legs 5 joined by a web or horizontal portion 6 that is vertically spaced from the upper surface 7 of the body 2 a distance sufficient to accommodate a persons fingers.

The disclosed plug board 1 is typical of commercially available plug boards and forms no part of the invention per se aside from the manner in which it cooperates with the apparatus yet to be described.

A protective cover constructed in accordance with the invention is designated generally by the reference character 8 and comprises a flat panel 9 of such size as substantially completely to overlie the upper surface 7 of the plug board 1. At its opposite ends the panel 9 is provided with depending flanges 10 and 11 which are of greater height than the height of the handles 4. The free edges of the flanges are adapted to rest on the upper surface of the plug board body adjacent the respective handles. Preferably, the panel 9 also includes side flanges 12 and 13 corresponding in height to the flanges 10 and 11 and joining the latter.

Means is provided for removably securing the cover 8 to the plug board 1 and comprises a fixed latch member 13a supported on the inner surface of the flange 11 and another, manipulatable latch member .14 associated with the flange 10. The latch 13a may comprise an angle bar having a flange 15 riveted or otherwise suitably fixed to the flange 11 and from which extends an inwardly projecting flange 16. The flange 16 is located at such level as to be capable of entering the space between the associated handle portion 6 and the surface 7 of the body 2 and, as is best shown in FIGURE 3, the level of the flange 16 preferably is such as to enable it to engage the under surface of the associated handle portion 6. The length of the flange 16 is less than the distance between the upstanding arms of the associated handle so as to enable the flange 16 to be inserted between the arms 5 without interference.

The latch 14 may comprise a generally U-shaped member having a flange 17 that overlies the panel 9, and is joined to a web 18 that depends from the flange 17 so as to parallel the flange .10. Joined to the web 18 is a flange 19 which parallels the flange 17 and is adapted to project through a slot or opening 20 formed in the flange 10. The flange 19 and the opening 20 are located at the level of the flange 16 and the length of the flange 19 is such as to enable it to enter the space between the arms 5 and beneath the portion 6 of the associated handle 4, as is illustrated in FIGURE 3.

The latch member 14 is mounted for pivotal movement relative to the panel 9 so as to permit the flange 19 to be moved out of the opening 20 and out of latching engagement with the associated handle 4. The mounting means conveniently may comprise an extension 21 on the flange 17 which may be pivoted as at 22 on the panel 9.

To assemble the cover 8 with the plug board 1, the latch member 14 is swung to the position indicated in dotted lines in FIGURE 1 so as to remove the flange 19 from the slot 20. The cover then may be placed over the body 2 and manipulated so as to position the flange 16 beneath the associated handle portion 6 and between its supporting arms 5. To enable this to be achieved, the distance between the flanges and 11 must be somewhat greater than the distance between the outer surfaces of the handles 4.

When the fixed flange 16 is in latching engagement with the associated handle 4, the latch member 14 may be swung to the full line position shown in FIGURE 1 so as to project the latching flange 19 through the slot and beneath the handle portion 6 of the associated handle 4. The spacing between the confronting edges of the latch flanges 16 and 19 is less than the spacing between the handles 4. In these positions of the parts, the cover 8 will be securely, but removably, anchored to the plug board.

To remove the cover from the plug board, it is necessary only to reverse the procedure described above. If desired, a handle (not shown) of any suitable kind may be mounted on the cover 8 so as to facilitate its being mounted on and removed from the plug board.

The disclosed embodiment is representative of a presently preferred form of the invention, but is intended to be illustrative rather than definitive thereof. The invention is defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A cover for a plug board or the like comprising a body having a panel member and at least a pair of flanges depending from said panel member; first latch means carried by said body at a level spaced from said panel member and projecting inwardly of said body from one of said flanges; second latch means carried by said body at a level corresponding to the level of said first latch means and projecting inwardly from the other of said flanges, said first and second latch means being at a level between the edges of their respective flanges; and means mounting at least one of said latch means for movement relative to said body.

2. The construction set forth in claim 1 wherein one of said flanges has an opening therein and said one of said latch means is movable through said opening.

3. A cover for a plug board comprising a body having a flat panel member and at least a pair of flanges depending from said panel member; first latch means carried by said body at a level spaced from the plane of said panel member and projecting inwardly of said body from one of said flanges; second latch means carried by said body at a level corresponding to the level of said first latch means and projecting inwardly from the other of said flanges; and means mounting at least one of said latch means for movement relative to said body and parallel to the plane of said panel member.

. 4. The construction set forth in claim 3 wherein said flanges are located at opposite ends of said panel member.

5-. The construction set forth in claim 4 wherein said first and second latch means project toward one another.

6. The construction set forth in claim 3 wherein said mounting means comprises hinge means mounting said one of said latch means for swinging movement.

7. In combination, a base; a pair of handles secured to said base and each having a portion overlying and spaced 1 from said base; a cover having a panel member overlying said base and from which depends at least a pair of flanges spaced from one another a distance to be adjacent the respective handles; first latch means carried by said cover and projecting from one of said flanges into the space between said portion of one of said handles and said base; second latch means carried by said cover and projecting from the other of said flanges into the space between said portion of the other of said handles and said base; and means mounting at least one of said latch means for movements out of its said space.

8. The construction set forth in claim 7 wherein said first and second latch means engage the respective handle portions.

9. The construction set forth in claim 7 wherein said flanges are supported on said base.

10. The construction set forth in claim 7 wherein said flanges are located at opposite ends of said panel, said first and second latch means have confronting edges, and wherein said handles lie between said flanges.

11. The construction set forth in claim 10 wherein the spacing between said flanges is greater than the spacing between said handles and the spacing between the confronting edges of said first and second latch means is less than the spacing between said handles.

12. The construction set forth in claim 7 wherein one of said flanges has an opening therein through which said one of said latch means extends, and wherein said mounting means comprises hinge means mounting said one of said latch means for movement out of said space and out of said opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS l/l965 Holka 24836l X 9/ 1934 Enderle 220-55 U.S. Cl. X.R. 22055; 292-202 

